The Dog Days of Voyager
by DianeB
Summary: Written for a "What if" challenge. What if. . .an alien race presented Janeway with a dog? How would the rest of the crew respond? Fun and fluff, woofs and womance, a big doggie, and a little J/C. Who could ask for anything more?


Author's Note: (11/00) This story answers the vital, burning question: What if an alien race presented Janeway with a dog? No serious intent intended. Pure hearts and flowers, fun and fluff, _womance and woofs_. Written in October, 1999. Rated PG.

Thanks to august for the inspiration in her story, "Simplicity."

Disclaimer: Paramount, er, CBS owns it all. Probably always will. I accept this.

The Dog Days of Voyager  
by DianeB

Janeway gasped softly at what she was seeing, but the only person to actually hear her was Chakotay. Standing to her immediate right, so close their shoulders were touching, he heard the sharp intake of breath that indicated a mix of surprise and wonder at the sight before her. A grin parted his lips for a moment, briefly revealing his dimples, but he kept his face forward and quickly readjusted his features to reflect a more professional attitude.

Priestess Valeria, the planet's reigning governmental figure, was coming forward to greet them. Though she had done this on two occasions previously, this time she was flanked by…dogs.

And they were not only dogs, they were nearly exact replicas in body type of "Molly Malone," the precious Irish Setter Kathryn Janeway unintentionally left behind so many years ago. The only outward difference was that they were colored unlike any Setter she had ever seen. It was very similar to the mottled "blue merle" she had seen in many Collies, Cardigan Welsh Corgis, Great Danes, and other breeds of the Alpha Quadrant. The effect was just as striking on these animals.

Except for that coloring, Janeway could see no other difference. Considering how much closer they were to the Alpha Quadrant, this did not surprise her. Each dog had four legs, one tail, a long muzzle ending with a shiny black nose, two floppy ears, and long "feathered" fur.

And then two pairs of eyes trained themselves on her, and she was immediately availed of another difference, this one all the more striking because she had never seen canine eyes that color ever in her life. They were green, and it was a remarkable contrast inside that spotted head, especially when she was expecting the standard "dog brown."

As the involuntary gasp took her, she didn't need to see it to know that Chakotay was grinning beside her. By the time she slid her eyes sideways to check, however, his features were sober again. Facing forward, green doggie eyes claimed her again. She stood transfixed, caught in their liquid gaze.

**oOo oOo oOo**

Unbeknown to both Janeway and Chakotay, the Priestess had planned this moment carefully. As she often did during the last round of trade negotiations, she brought her _grels_ with her specifically to gauge their reaction to those wishing to trade. She could not have been more pleased with their reaction this time. They held Janeway as if hypnotized. She did not miss First Officer Chakotay's reaction, as well. It was delightful.

But the Priestess had been through many trade negotiations. She knew it was always best to take care of business first. She honestly hated to break the silent communication her _grels_ had made with the captain of _Voyager_, but she knew there would be time later.

"Captain Janeway, Commander Chakotay. It is good to see you again. I trust you had a restful night?" Valeria extended her hand in the manner she had learned from these people.

**oOo oOo oOo**

Janeway tore her eyes from the dogs, but she clearly had not recovered enough from the sight of them to form a coherent sentence, a distinct rarity for her. Chakotay stepped in smoothly and took the Priestess's warm hand, squeezing it gently, and releasing it. "Yes, thank you. It is good to see you again, as well." He noticed the dogs were in a perfect sitting position at each heel, but they were quivering with barely-contained canine excitement. Now their eyes were fixed on their mistress.

Valeria motioned to the table beside them. "Shall we sit and finish our business?" The three sat. The two dogs moved to the table, as well, but they did not go to their mistress. Instead, they settled themselves to either side of Janeway's chair, one uttering a nearly human-sounding sigh common to every dog in the universe.

If Chakotay had been any less than the trained officer he was, he might have reached across the table to cover Janeway's hand when he saw a flicker of sadness cross her face at the sound of the sigh.

Chakotay glanced down at the dogs. One had risen to a sitting position – he thought it was the one who had sighed, but he couldn't be sure since they looked so much alike and were separated by only a chair – and was carefully edging its velvet muzzle between Janeway and the arm of the chair.

It _was_ the animal who had sighed, because it sighed again as its chin came to rest on Janeway's thigh. It would have been hard for anyone to miss Janeway's reaction this time. Her eyebrows shot straight up and her mouth formed a surprised "o," which she voiced.

"Oh!"

Valeria was a bit surprised herself at the action of her female _grel_. This was very intimate contact for a _grel_, and Sokra had never made this overture to anyone but Valeria. Lost in her thoughts, the priestess missed all but the last of Janeway's request, but it was enough to understand it.

"…touch your…_grel_?"

Valeria smiled and nodded. She had been out-negotiated by her _grel_ for the very first time.

Chakotay didn't bother to hide his dimpled smile as he watched Janeway's hand drop gently to the rounded head. The dog flicked its tongue and whimpered at her touch, and that was all it took. She scooted the chair back and gave her attention solely to the animal, using both hands to scratch behind its ears and stroke as far as she could reach down its back. She ducked her head towards the furry face and squealed in delight when a pink tongue stole out and lapped at her face.

Chakotay could honestly say he had never seen such an open display of affection from Janeway ever before. He was certain he had never heard her _squeal_ like that before.

He looked over Janeway's head into the violet eyes of the planet's reigning governmental figure. She smiled warmly and began to rise from her chair. Chakotay quickly followed suit. "Commander Chakotay, I believe we have come to complete agreement on all points of this negotiation."

**oOo oOo oOo**

Three days later, even the bulkheads were happy. The entire Engineering team, headed by an almost-giddy B'Elanna Torres, rejoiced hourly about how well the refits were going. Neelix was up to his fuzzy chin in a mad array of fruits and vegetables from the planet, and Seven of Nine was even caught smiling over the star charts.

And Captain Kathryn Janeway sat in her quarters, cuddling a twelve-week-old mottled copy of her mother, Sokra.

Janeway had not let the puppy out of her sight, barely let her _walk_, since the Priestess had asked Janeway if she wanted one of her _grel's_ offspring at the end of that rather unconventional meeting. At that point, with Sokra whimpering on her thigh and her mate, Mac, wriggling and barking around her chair, there was no way Janeway could have refused, even if she had wanted to.

Kathryn named the pup Emerald, mainly because of her eyes. She had struggled with whether or not to give the animal a name that had anything to do with Ireland, because she wasn't sure she wanted to be reminded daily of the red-coated dog she would never see again. But as soon as she said the name aloud, the puppy began barking and hopping about so much that it seemed as though she thought Emerald was a fine name.

It turned out the Irish part was wholly appropriate. The puppy was as mischievous as a leprechaun. In the three days she had been aboard, she had managed to chew Janeway's boots to shreds, destroy her favorite plant, and tinkle _twice_ on the living room carpet, just to the left of the absorbent pad that had been put down specifically for that purpose.

She had also managed to arc a rainbow over the heart of Captain Kathryn M. Janeway.

**oOo oOo oOo**

**Nine months later**:

Emerald, called Emy for short, had grown into a remarkable animal. She was not only a gorgeous specimen of _grel_, she was also smart as a whip and a charmer, to boot.

Harry had helped the captain with obedience training while the dog was still young. (The crew had simply begun to refer to her as a dog instead of a _grel_, just because they kept doing it anyway.) As a result, she was now exemplary in her obedience to whoever asked it of her.

There was no doubt, however, she was Janeway's dog. This fact became glaringly evident when no one but Chakotay saw either of them for weeks while _Voyager_ was in the Void. Nevertheless, while the captain's commands overrode anyone else's, Emy readily came, sat, or stayed for anyone who asked it of her. She was also mighty good at _shake_ and _roll over_ and at giving canine kisses, though she would kiss only if invited.

She also had the feline-like trait of latching onto anyone who didn't particularly care for her, but it was not done with a feline's sometimes annoying intent. It was done with the goal of eventually winning them over. Her record so far was three for three, and out of 143 crewmembers, there was only one left who did not openly adore her. This included the resident Vulcans and even Seven, all of whom admired the dog's ability to obey orders quickly and efficiently. Tuvok might have balked at the idea that he would _openly adore_ anything, but he _had_ been heard to refer to Emy as a "remarkably intelligent creature," and had even gone so far as to pat the dog once on her head. This was plenty good enough for Emy.

Nope, there was only one left, and on the day after her first anniversary aboard _Voyager_, Emy set her sights on B'Elanna.

It began when she quietly left Janeway's side at that morning's senior staff meeting to go sit beside the chief engineer. B'Elanna rolled her eyes at Tom, who did nothing more than smile. Emy followed B'Elanna out of the room at the meeting's end without even a backward glance at her mistress.

"Don't worry," Chakotay said lightly, noticing Janeway's look of abandonment. "She's on a mission. She'll come back. She always does." A grin crinkled up the corners of his eyes for just a moment, and then he turned towards the door to the Bridge, adding in a more somber tone, "You know she can't live without you." Janeway shook her head in hopeless dismissal. A minute passed before she raised her head and turned her eyes in puzzlement to the door through which Chakotay had exited.

In the turbolift, B'Elanna looked down at the dog, who was sitting primly at her left heel.

"You know, beast, I know what you're up to, and it won't work. Nothing against you personally. I'm just not a dog person, okay?" She paused for a moment, wondering if she should be talking to an animal this way, and then continued in a determined tone. "You're not allowed in my engine room, anyway."

Emy dropped her jaw and let her tongue loll out one side of her mouth. Her tail thumped against the floor of the turbolift. But she didn't move and she didn't voice a sound.

"I mean it. You have to stay in this turbolift."

The dog heard the stay command in B'Elanna's sentence. When the lift arrived in Engineering and B'Elanna stepped out, Emy stayed put. B'Elanna turned and looked at her. The dog held her gaze with her remarkable eyes until the doors slid shut.

"Huh." B'Elanna turned to her office to begin her workday and never gave Emy another thought.

**oOo oOo oOo**

"Excuse me. Lieutenant?" Susan Nicoletti addressed her boss, who was squatting before an open console, fingering a worn wire.

B'Elanna continued poking at the wire. "Yeah, Susan?"

"Uh, Lieutenant, do you have any idea why Em's in the south turbolift?"

"What?" B'Elanna jerked her head up sharply and nearly lost her precarious balance. She grabbed the edge of the console to keep from falling on her rear end and heaved herself to her feet. "She's still in the lift? You're kidding me!" She went around Susan and walked briskly to the lift, pressing the button to summon it and stepping back.

The doors slid open immediately, revealing Emerald, sitting where she had been for the past two hours, obeying the command B'Elanna had given her.

She could not believe this animal. The dog listened better at one year of age than B'Elanna figured Tom _ever_ would. "C'mere, you." She bent over slightly and slapped her thigh.

The dog bounded out of the turbolift, tailing wagging furiously, taking most of her hindquarters with it. She stopped just short of B'Elanna, sat down and lifted one paw into the air. The tongue-lolling grin was also making its reappearance.

Another doggie goal achieved. Another adoring fan.

**oOo oOo oOo**

Emy's ability to obey the simple commands of anyone who gave them provided a special thrill to Naomi Wildman. Naomi would spend hours with the dog, usually in the holodeck, throwing a ball for her or simply walking around while the dog stayed at perfect heel. Emy also sat patiently while Naomi had tea with Flotter, knowing she'd eventually get a tidbit of toast as a reward for her good behavior.

One afternoon in the holodeck, as Naomi chatted away with Flotter about spatial anomalies, a rumble of thunder was heard in the distance. Emerald, who had been lying beside Naomi's chair, lifted her head and whimpered in concern. She had no knowledge of random weather patterns in holodeck programs.

"It's okay, Em," Naomi said. There's a storm coming, but we're safe." She leaned down and whispered into the dog's silky ear. "This is the holodeck, and nothing is real here. We can stop this program and leave anytime we want." She sat up and said a little louder, "So don't you worry anymore." She took a sip of her tea and went back to her conversation with Flotter.

When the thunder rumbled again, louder and closer, Emy would have none of Naomi's assurances. She sat up, began to bark, and brought her paw into Naomi's lap.

"Okay, girl, okay. We can go." She stood and said her farewells to Flotter. "Computer, end program." The forest and Flotter shimmered out of sight, as did the threatening weather. Emy immediately calmed down, giving Naomi's hand a gentle lick in gratitude.

"Silly dog. C'mon, let's go."

In the corridor, Naomi headed straight for a Jefferies tube access. She had studied the labyrinth system of tubes and knew where most of them led.

She also knew the tubes were sometimes used for activity of another sort, but she had learned to listen first before entering any tube. There weren't too many aboard _Voyager_ who engaged in this activity in the Jefferies tubes, but some did.

She knew Tom and B'Elanna did, because it was this couple who had taught her her lesson about listening first. She had blithely opened an access plate one afternoon and had crawled inside just in time to hear the echo of B'Elanna's name as Tom moaned it somewhere down the length of the tube. Naomi did not stick around to hear any more, but quickly backed out, closed the plate, and tore off for home via more conventional methods.

At present, she was after a shortcut to hydroponics to put Emy back in her kennel, and she knew this tube was it. She put her ear to the plate. She couldn't hear any of _those_ noises.

Naomi opened the plate and cocked her head to be sure she didn't hear anything that sounded like it shouldn't be there. When she was certain the coast was clear, she gestured to Emy to jump in ahead of her. The dog was quick to comply. Naomi crawled in behind her and closed the access plate.

They began crawling down the long length of tube. Well, Naomi was crawling. Emerald was walking. Naomi made up a story as they went along. "Okay, Em, we're in the spider caves, trying to get away from Queen Aracnia. She wants me to work as a web-builder, and she wants _you_ for lunch!

Emerald barked.

"Shh! The Queen will surely find us if you keep up that racket!"

Naomi was so involved with thinking up the next part of her story, she didn't notice she was losing the datapadd in her pocket until it clattered onto the tube's grating and slid out of sight down the space between the floor and the wall.

"Oh darn it! I need that padd!" Naomi needed _all_ of her datapadds. They contained information vital to her becoming the captain's Bridge Assistant. She craned her neck around to try to get an eye down the crack. With one eye closed, she could just see the padd lying on a narrow shelf below the floor. Emy had returned to her and was worrying the child's forehead horns with her cold nose.

Naomi pulled her face away. "Hey! Get away, would ya? I'm trying to get my padd." She pushed at the dog to get her to move back but Emy held firm. Then she remembered.

"Emerald, sit." The dog sat. "Good girl."

Naomi eased her tiny arm down the crack until her shoulder was level with the floor. She couldn't feel her padd yet, and the grating blocked her view, so she stretched out flat on her stomach to gain a longer reach. Before she realized what was happening, the grating caught her commbadge and took it off. It disappeared through the floor in a matter of seconds.

"Oops." Things were not going well.

Emy thumped her tail, but she didn't move.

Naomi's longer reach proved beneficial as her fingers closed around her datapadd, but as she tried to lift it out, she realized a worse predicament than losing her commbadge. Her arm was caught at the shoulder. She was stuck right where she was.

"Uh oh." _Definitely_ not going well.

Emy whined this time, apparently recognizing the fearful tone in those two little syllables.

"Em, I've been caught in one of Queen Aracnia's evil traps. You're going to have to save me. Come here, girl."

Emy jumped to her feet and began to prance in front of the prone child, her toenails clicking on the metal floor. "Listen, you have to go find mom or Tuvok or the captain and get them to come here to cut me out of here, okay, or bring another commbadge so I can beam out, okay?"

The dog whined again, clearly unsure of what was being asked of her. Naomi was a brave girl, but her arm was beginning to feel funny and she was having trouble remembering how she was supposed to give commands to the dog. She took a deep breath and tried again, remembering this time to be brief.

"Emerald, find the captain, girl. Find the captain."

This much the dog understood. She went tearing down the tube to the access panel, but there she was stumped. She sniffed at the panel, and then sat and scratched at it. She scratched again and whined. When no one responded, she raised her nose toward the top of the tube and began to howl.

Naomi could hear the howls echoing through the tube. She rolled her eyes and tried to imagine the world of trouble she was going to be in after this. She was positive she had botched her career as Bridge Assistant.

**oOo oOo oOo**

On the Bridge, Harry Kim's brows furrowed as the computer beeped softly to alert him something out of the ordinary was occurring. "Captain, the computer's reporting an, uh, an odd…sound in Jefferies tube 47."

"Odd sound, Ensign? Could you be more specific?"

"Yes, captain. He fine-tuned the controls until the system was able to identify the sound. Harry looked up suddenly and met his captain's blue-gray gaze. "Howling, Captain, it's howling."

Janeway froze. "Emerald." She turned and looked at the turbolift, ready to move towards it, ready to issue a red alert, ready – easy_, old girl, easy. If she's howling, that means she's alive. And if she's in a Jefferies tube, that means someone _put_ her there_. Janeway was starting for the turbolift when she felt warm fingers brush her arm.

"Wh…what?" She looked down. Chakotay, still seated, was quietly speaking to her.

"I said, take it easy, Kathryn. If she's howling, then she's okay. And if she's in a Jefferies tube, she had to have help. I know she's a smart dog, but she's not _that_ smart!"

_How does he _do_ that? And did he just address me as _Kathryn_ on the Bridge_? With effort, she forced her mind to the business at hand. She would deal with Chakotay's insubordination later. _You bet you will, _Kathryn_. Oh, stop it_.

"Harry," she said, louder than was strictly necessary, "scan that tube for lifeforms other than my dog."

"There's one, Captain, but it's not anywhere near Em. She's at the end of the tube by the access plate. The other lifeform is three-quarters of the way along the tube."

"Who is it?"

"Well…" he looked down at his console, made an adjustment, and looked up at Janeway again. "I can't get an ID on the lifeform, but the computer says Naomi Wildman's commbadge is about 15 meters below it, all by itself."

_Uh huh_. Janeway cast her eyes to Tuvok. "I want to see them both when you get them." Tuvok nodded and left the Bridge to go perform a rescue. Tugging firmly on her uniform, she marched towards her ready room. "Chakotay, you have the Bridge." The door swished closed behind her.

**oOo oOo oOo**

Twenty minutes later, Samantha Wildman was in the turbolift, accompanying her daughter and a big dog to the Bridge. She had heard the whole story, twice, and was convinced of the series of accidents that led to Tuvok being knocked flat in the corridor by a flying, hysterical dog.

Naomi was rescued in good health, as was her datapadd and commbadge. It was a very good thing Tuvok was devoted to Naomi, or the world of trouble she had imagined in the tube would have been realized in short order.

It helped that Emerald gave Tuvok her best "sit and grin" performance after Naomi was removed from the tube.

It also helped that Emerald was the captain's dog.

Tuvok let Naomi go with a stern warning about using caution in the Jefferies tubes. Samantha knew he could not warn her to stay out of the tubes, because everyone used them. That is, everyone who could stand to crawl any distance and whose knees could take it, which she knew was _not_ she or Tuvok.

The lift doors opened onto the bridge. She took her daughter's hand and walked with her to the ready room door, catching Chakotay's twinkling smile and Tom's "thumbs-up" gesture as she did so. Emerald followed at Naomi's heel, sitting when Naomi stopped in front of the door. Samantha signaled for entry.

"Come."

Janeway was seated on the couch under the window. Emerald did not need anything more than to catch sight of her before losing all her discipline. She ran to her, leaped onto the couch beside her, and covered her face with doggie kisses, not waiting for an invitation.

Janeway pushed her away, though she was smiling. "All right, miss! That'll be just about enough! Lay down!"

Emerald dropped to her belly on the couch and then ruined it by flopping over onto her back with her feet straight up in the air. Janeway made a dismissing motion with her hand and turned to Naomi.

"So, let's hear it. What happened?"

Naomi stood at parade rest in front of the captain and related the incident from start to finish, which didn't take too long. On advice from her mother, she wisely refrained from mentioning her Queen Aracnia story. She explained the datapadd she had been trying to retrieve contained star charts that had taken Seven an hour to download. She had not wanted to have to bother Seven for another copy. "Besides," she said, "I know all equipment is valuable on _Voyager_, since we can't just stop at the next starbase to pick up replacements. She rocked on the balls of her feet and added, "Captain."

Janeway fought the urge to smile. She could never resist this child, the only one on _Voyager_ (so far, anyway). Not her wide-eyed wonder with the universe. Not her ability to comfort those in need. Not her tenacious desire to become her first-ever Bridge Assistant. Naomi reminded her, in fact, of herself when she was about ten – which was roughly where Naomi's Human/Ktarian physiology put her at in human biological terms. Chronologically, the captain knew Naomi was much younger.

"All right, Naomi. I believe this was all just one big accident, and I'm very thankful Emerald was with you."

"Oh yes, Captain. Me, too!"

The captain continued, allowing the smile to emerge. "But I hope you understand we'd much rather have _you_ in one piece, rather than a datapadd, okay?"

"Yes, Captain."

"Naomi?"

"Yes, Captain?"

"You may scratch my dog's stomach now." She stood quickly and stepped out of the way.

Naomi leaped for the couch. For a few minutes, all that could be heard was giggling and woofing as the two tussled together on the couch.

"Thank you, Captain. I'm sorry about all this."

"You're welcome, Samantha. And let's not worry about it anymore. Naomi wasn't hurt, and I believe she understands we can probably survive the loss of one datapadd."

Samantha addressed her daughter. "C'mon, kid. We've taken up enough of the captain's time." Naomi disengaged herself from the dog and took her mother's hand. Emerald walked to the captain's desk and collapsed beside it with an audible sigh.

When the doors shut behind Samantha and Naomi, Emy raised her head and looked across the room at Janeway, who had returned to the couch. Without saying a word, Janeway dropped her arm towards the floor. Emerald got to her feet and padded over to her mistress, easing her nose under her fingers and walking forward until Janeway's hand was on her back and the dog's head was in Janeway's lap. Emerald sighed again.

Janeway stroked the silky fur. "Good girl."

**oOo oOo oOo**

Chakotay heard Janeway in the corridor as she walked past the door to his quarters. She was talking to her dog, as she always did, about her agenda for the next day. This evening, as he sometimes did, Chakotay opened the door to his quarters and stood within sensor range to keep it from closing.

"Good evening, Captain. Care to join me for dinner?"

Janeway stopped in front of his door. Emerald sat beside her. His use of her title reminded her of his little insurrection earlier that day on the Bridge, and that triggered a reaction she would have much preferred not to have. _Did it just get warm in this corridor_?

"Commander, that would be acceptable. I have a few things I'd like to discuss with you, anyway." She would be eternally grateful that her voice did not betray her thudding heart.

Chakotay sighed. It was never _just dinner_ with her. Never. "All right. Anything in particular you're hungry for?"

"Oh, no. Surprise me. Let me take Emy home, she's had a stressful day. I'll be back in a moment."

Emerald stood at the sound of her name, but it was immediately clear that going home was _not_ on her agenda. She walked straight to Chakotay's couch, jumped lightly onto it, turned in a circle one time and lay down. She stretched her neck out, rested her head on the throw pillow, and huffed an infamous sigh.

Chakotay's tattooed eyebrow shot into his hairline. Although the green-eyed dog had spent time in other crew quarters since she had come aboard, this was the first time she had been in his.

It was also the first time she had ever done anything in the presence of Kathryn Janeway without obtaining permission.

Janeway's eyebrows, on the other hand, furrowed into a frown at her dog's insurrection. _What is this_, she thought,_ some kind of virus going around_?

She folded her arms across her chest and glared at the dog. "Emerald, come."

Emerald rolled her eyes at her mistress, but that was it. She didn't whimper or thump her tail. She also didn't move from the couch. Janeway's frown increased.

In an attempt to lessen the tension between canine and captain, Chakotay gave it a try. "Emerald, come." The dog raised her head, stepped off the couch, and walked right to him, turning and sitting at his heel. He looked at Janeway, shrugged his shoulders, tilted his head and grinned.

"So we have company for dinner. If it's all right with you, it's all right with me."

Recognizing defeat when it was beating her over the head, Janeway unfolded her arms and stepped into the room. "I don't believe I have a choice in the matter, do I?"

Emerald lifted a paw into the air.

**oOo oOo oOo**

Emerald spent the entire meal sitting beside Chakotay's chair. Every once in a while, the dog would poke her nose into his thigh, silently demanding that he pet her. He always complied. He noticed Janeway noticing this, but he pretended not to.

Although the captain did mention several items of business as they ate, it seemed very clear to Chakotay that there was something else on her mind she did not voice.

After dinner, the two Humans retired together to the couch for coffee. A sweet hazelnut blend, hot and black. "Chakotay, dinner was marvelous and," Janeway said, pointing to the coffee in her mug, "this is fantastic. How many rations did this cost you?"

"Oh, I've been saving up. Did you know there are over one thousand blends of coffee in the computer databanks?"

"Yes, Chakotay, I did." She looked at him with mock seriousness, ready to banter about coffee, and was surprised to see something else in his dark eyes, something exactly like desire. Actually, she was not surprised. She had seen it the moment his door had opened.

If she wanted to be completely honest with herself, she had first seen it five years ago, and then pretty much every day after that, although he had become very good at concealing it. Did it take a dog to give him the courage to remove the mask? And, if so, what about her? She hadn't mentioned anything about his calling her Kathryn on the bridge, although it had been on the tip of her tongue the entire night. Did it take a dog?

The dog in question had not left Chakotay's side all evening. She was presently worming her way from the floor to the couch on the other side of him.

"Chakotay, I…" _Damn_. Now her hands were solidly betraying her. She had to put the coffee mug down or risk dropping it. This gave her opportunity to look away from him for a moment and gather her wits.

She had gotten too close to him on the couch. Definitely too close. _When did that happen_? If she recalled correctly, there had been at least a meter between them when he had given her the coffee. She knew if she stood, she could bring up the business about her name and she'd be off the hook once again. If she looked back at him, however, she'd be lost.

Emerald had gained the couch by this time. At that moment, she placed her head in Chakotay's lap and sighed, a long, drawn-out affair that sounded as though she had found her heart's desire and was never letting it go.

Her dog's sigh loosened the tight knot of protocol within Kathryn Janeway. She commanded herself to stand, but found she could not get her legs to heed. And then, against the protocol that was still sounding a red alert in her head, against her own better judgment, against every civil thought she had ever had, Janeway looked back at him.

His gaze would have been predatory – a look she had seen plenty of times on Paris in the early days of their journey – had his ebony eyes not been sparkling to rival the stars outside the viewport.

"I'm going to kiss you now, Kathryn Janeway, and you'd better hold still."

As their lips met, a certain green-eyed dog lifted her head and woofed softly, dropping her jaw and letting her tongue loll out one side of her mouth.

End

**oOo oOo oOo**

_This story is dedicated to my girlfriend's big dog, Vinnie._


End file.
